Guardian Angel
by MinervaDeannaBond
Summary: Tom Popper has always known that Selma Van Gundy has been there while he tried to buy the Tavern on the Green. Little does he know that she has actually known him all his life. Novelization/"deleted scene" from "Mr. Popper's Penguins."


I have the first-ever _Mr. Popper's Penguins _story on here! In this novelization and "deleted scene" from the film, Tom Popper suddenly realizes that Mrs. Van Gundy has, in fact, known him all his life. I was inspired by something Angela Lansbury said about Mrs. Van Gundy in an interview: that she was kind of a guardian angel who watched over the Poppers. For everyone who loves this movie - and, of course, the awesome Angela - this one's for you!

* * *

"Mr. Popper."

Tom Popper turned around at the sound of the voice he'd once dreaded hearing and smiled at its owner. Incredible to believe that he had also once dreaded seeing her face-to-face, despite his ambition and determination to buy the Tavern on the Green. His colleagues had not been wrong in saying that she was a hard woman to get past, for she had seen right through every charming veneer and snake-oil sales pitch he had thrown at her. That voice of hers, betraying both a dry wit and a thin coat of ice, had never failed to cut right through him, nor had her piercing blue eyes. He had begun to think that the chances of his getting through to her were as likely as his beloved penguins going on a tropical vacation.

Now, however... there was something different in her voice. Something... _warm. _Standing up on the platform in the Tavern's main dining room, no one could argue that Selma Van Gundy was not a regal woman. Clad in a black dress with a green velvet jacket and a matching beret perched among her silver coif, she looked every inch a lady – like the New York socialite she had been long ago. It was this royal appearance, coupled with the sudden warmth in her voice, that prompted Tom to reach out and take her hand.

"Mrs. Van Gundy," he said with some ceremony, assisting her down off the platform. At every other occasion when he had tried something like this, she had been almost snobbish. On the heels of his "proof of penguin phileos," as Pippi would have said, her demeanor had changed. As he helped her down, she squeezed his hand and bestowed a dazzling smile upon him – the first genuine smile he had ever received from her. _She's actually smiling. What gives?_

"Congratulations," Mrs. Van Gundy began, her smile never fading for an instant. "The Tavern is yours."

Tom was sure his jaw was hanging on the rose-covered carpeting. Did he hear her right? The Tavern on the Green, which she had so stubbornly refused to sell to him, was now his? _Well, smack my butt and call me stupid. Looks like I'm gonna be booking first-class seats for the penguins on the next flight to Tahiti. _Before he could find adequate words of gratitude so that he wouldn't be standing there like a bump on a pickle, Mrs. Van Gundy spoke up.

"I told you," she said, surprising him by accompanying the kind admonishment with a chuckle. "I never forget a name."

_Wait a minute. She _knew _me_? When Tom looked into her eyes, he saw that they were sparkling with triumph. She laughed again and swept a hand toward the table by the window – the very table where Tom had sat long ago with his mother and father. "I just needed to be sure that that little boy hadn't gotten lost somewhere." All of a sudden, a memory came flooding back to Tom.

_It was a night out at the Tavern to celebrate his father's return from yet another adventure. Every time Thomas Popper, Sr. came home, he had some wonderful gift for his son. This time, it was a snow globe from Rio de Janeiro, featuring the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Every time he shook it, birds would fly around the image of Jesus, who was keeping watch over Rio like the guardian he was. And boy, did Tom love shaking that little snow globe. So much, in fact, that he shook it too hard and sent it flying across the dining room. Tom let out a cry and slammed his eyes shut tight, mourning the loss of his dad's gift._

"_Pardon me, young man, but I believe this belongs to you."_

_Tom opened his eyes at the sound of the kind female voice. He craned his neck upward until he was gazing into the face of its bearer. A tall, slender woman dressed in a royal blue gown, with blonde hair twisted into a bun and blue eyes that seemed to stare right into him, was standing beside their table, holding his snow globe in her hands. Her lips were curved into a rather sly smile as she held the snow globe out to him. "Thanks," was all he could say, taking the precious gift back into his own hands. "How did you..."_

"_The old pitching arm." The woman's smile widened. "Joltin' Joe himself used to be quite a frequent guest here not so long ago. He gave me baseball lessons in exchange for a free meal every time the Yankees won – which was nearly every time they played!"_

"_Holy smoke!" Tom cried, blown away by what he had just heard. "You knew Joe DiMaggio?"_

"_Yes, sir, and the entire team through the years. I even threw a pitch out for them once at Yankee Stadium."_

"_Wow. You're pretty cool for a girl."_

_She laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment, Mister..."_

"_Popper. Tom Popper."_

"_Mr. Popper. Just do me one favor."_

"_Sure. What?"_

_Her blue eyes met his, piercing into his young soul. "Take care of what you have. You never know what a blessing something is until you almost lose it." And with one more smile and a wave, the woman was gone, and only too late did Tom remember that he hadn't even asked her name._

There was no need to wonder anymore. Mrs. Van Gundy had indeed known who he was all along. She knew that there was a little boy inside the overconfident man, who hadn't known what blessings were in his life until they were almost lost: his children, the six penguins and their babies, and Amanda. _She's been guiding me all this time, like... a guardian angel. _Tom returned his gaze to her and, for the first time himself, gave her a true smile.

"Nice work, Popper!"

Tom's attention became sidetracked as his three bosses, Franklin, Reader, and Yates, strode over with jubilant grins on their faces. "Hey, Franklin!" he laughed, shaking Franklin's hand and returning the grin of both Yates and Reader.

Yates looked ready to burst with pride. "When do we break ground on the new building?"

Funny, but in all the kerfuffle over the penguins, Tom hadn't given a replacement for the Tavern a second thought. Sure, he'd tried to persuade Mrs. Van Gundy not to sell it to him because he _thought _he would tear it down, but a new building? It never crossed his mind. Anyway, it all seemed so insignificant now. He had his penguins with him, his bond with Janie and Billy had never been stronger, and best of all, he and Amanda were finally on their way to getting back together. He not only had the penguins and his father to thank, but Mrs. Van Gundy as well. If it hadn't been for her advice, he never would have come to realize what an idiot he'd been, or stopped to count the blessings in his life. He owed her one... and now he was going to give it to her, with two little words. "We're not."

That was the last answer that Franklin, Reader, and Yates expected to hear. They stared at Tom in astonishment, each murmuring their own variation on the word _what._

"You're not?" Mrs. Van Gundy asked, a smile playing about her lips.

"No." Tom paused for dramatic effect, waiting until Mrs. Van Gundy and the guys were fit to burst with anticipation. "We're going to restore the Tavern."

A frown creased Franklin's forehead. "Are you sure, Popper? This place is, uh..."

"Everything to Mrs. Van Gundy and to me," Tom replied, not indifferent to the unspoken _falling apart _at the end of Franklin's sentence. "It's a New York landmark, for crying out loud. If we can restore it and give it a little facelift – with Mrs. Van Gundy's permission, of course – we could make it into the hottest restaurant in the city." Tom suddenly grinned and held a hand to his ear. "Do I hear the Hard Rock Cafe seething with jealousy? I think I do!" When the three men still appeared skeptical, Tom spread his hands before him. "Come on, guys. Mrs. Van Gundy's given us this place to take care of. It's a blessing, not a curse. You never know what a blessing something is until you almost lose it."

That last platitude seemed to roll the threesome, and they huddled together in quick conference before turning back to Tom. "We'll have to hammer out the details, but if we can give this place a makeover and market it properly, I think we may just have a recipe for a hit. If it's a success, you're looking at that partnership you've always wanted."

"Y'absolutely!" Tom cried merrily, wringing their hands in turn. "Thanks, guys. You won't regret it." As he watched his future partners wend their way through the crowd of spectators and reporters in the dining room, he was suddenly turned around by a word from Mrs. Van Gundy. "That was the advice I gave you all those years ago."

Tom smiled. "I know. It worked with me – finally – so I thought I'd pass it on to the guys. Looks like they've taken it to heart."

Mrs. Van Gundy's eyes were sparkling brighter than sapphire gemstones. "I don't know what to say. I've given you the Tavern, and now you're giving it back to me tenfold. Why? What changed your mind?"

"With all due respect, Mrs. Van Gundy, I think you mean _who_... and the answer is you." Tom came within an inch of laughing at the sheer amazement on her face. "Remember all that stuff I said about the best second first date of my life? Well, I never would've had it if it hadn't been for you. I brought Amanda here on that second first date."

"I know." Mrs. Van Gundy smiled. "I saw you. I was watching you through the window as you left."

Tom let out a joyful laugh that sounded more like a honk, which in turn sent the penguins honking and waddling over to him. "See? You were there all the time, making sure I was becoming a better husband – hopefully soon, again," he added, with a sideways glance at Amanda, "and father. Our guardian angel."

Much to Tom's surprise, a blush appeared in Mrs. Van Gundy's cheeks. "Oh," was all she said, shaking her head modestly. Suddenly, she started and looked down. "Well, hello there!"

Tom followed her eyes and nearly rolled his own. Lovey was nuzzling Mrs. Van Gundy's leg while the other penguins looked on. "Mrs. Van Gundy, meet Lovey. He's really into public displays of affection."

"So I see," Mrs. Van Gundy chuckled. "Are you going to introduce me to the rest of the flock?"

"Sure." Tom nimbly hopped out of the way as another penguin came waddling over and tripped over his own feet. "This is Nimrod. And these guys here are Bitey, Stinky, Loudy, and Captain." Another grin crossed his face when the babies waddled to their parents, peeping up a storm. "And we don't have names for these little guys yet."

Billy came running over, with Janie and Amanda on his tail. "I've got one! The boy's name is Tommy, after you and Grandpa, Dad. We haven't picked out a name for the girl yet."

Tom made the necessary introductions. "This is my family, Amanda, Janie, and Billy. Everyone, this is Selma Van Gundy, our guardian angel."

"Now, stop that." Mrs. Van Gundy beamed at the children and took Amanda's hands in her own. "You have a good man on your hands, my dear. Make sure he stays that way."

Amanda laughed knowingly. "Yes, ma'am. I will."

"And _you_," Mrs. Van Gundy turned her attention to Tom, "make sure to cherish her and these beautiful children of yours."

Tom raised his hand in an Army salute. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am. Least I can do for our guardian angel." He barely even heard her protesting groan of "Mr. Popper" as inspiration struck. "I think I've got a name for our little girl penguin."

"Really, Dad?" Billy asked, kneeling down to pick up the penguin chick in question. "What?"

Tom smiled at the fuzzy chick. "Selma." This time, when Mrs. Van Gundy gave him a look of shock, he didn't hold the laughter back. "She'll be a guardian angel, just like her namesake."

Mrs. Van Gundy shook her head. "I think you may be going a little too far, Mr. Popper." Her steely resolve melted, however, when Billy placed Selma the penguin in her hands. "Ah, well," she said, smiling down at the peeping baby bird, "at least I know I'll never forget her name."


End file.
